A legacy of light: Laura Diddle retires after transforming choral music at SDSU

When Laura Diddle arrived at South Dakota State University in 2003, she stepped into a role that would allow her to bring together her talents in teaching, conducting and mentorship.

Over the next two decades, that role would grow into something greater, shaping not only a choral program, but generations of SDSU students and the musical life of the region.

This spring, SDSU will honor that legacy as Diddle retires from her role as the Paul E. and Doris J. Moriarty Endowed Professor of Choral Activities, the first endowed position in SDSU’s School of Performing Arts.

To celebrate her impact, the School of Performing Arts will host a special concert at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 25, in the Oscar Larson Performing Arts Center, with proceeds supporting a scholarship in her name.

A life shaped by music

“Music was clearly my gift from a very early age, and singing was the area in which I most deeply connected and most naturally excelled.”

That early connection led Diddle to the Indiana University School of Music, where she studied voice performance with an emphasis in opera, earning both her undergraduate and master’s degrees. After beginning her career teaching in public schools and later at Cumberland University, she completed her Ph.D. in music education at the University of South Carolina.

“What brought me to SDSU was the opportunity to build and shape a meaningful choral and music education program at a university with strong students and a real sense of community,” Diddle explained.

Since joining SDSU in 2003, Diddle has played a central role in developing a choral program that gained both regional and national recognition. She taught music education and voice and conducted both Choralia and Concert Choir, eventually serving as director of choral activities.

Her work extended well beyond campus. She led performances across the United States and internationally, with ensembles appearing throughout Europe and at major professional conferences. She also helped sustain long-standing university traditions, including Yuletide, the Christmas Madrigal Feasts and statewide tours that brought choral music to rural and underserved communities across South Dakota — an embodiment of SDSU’s land-grant mission.

“Throughout my time at SDSU, I have been deeply grateful to call Laura a partner in the artistic growth of our program,” said David Reynolds, director of the School of Performing Arts. “She is not only an extraordinary musician and educator, but someone who is truly beloved by her students. Her impact on the musical life of our state will be felt for generations.”

Diddle’s leadership also shaped the broader university. She served in Faculty Senate, including as president, and worked alongside multiple university leaders during her tenure, such as former SDSU presidents Peggy Miller and David Chicoine, former Provost Laurie Nichols, and now President Barry Dunn and Provost Dennis Hedge.

“I have been very fortunate to work with university leaders whose support helped shape my success at SDSU,” Diddle said. “Dr. David Reynolds, director of the School of Performing Arts, has given me extraordinary leadership and musical guidance. His support, musicianship and vision have meant a great deal to me personally and professionally, and he has played an important role in creating an environment in which our programs could thrive.”

The heart of the work

For Diddle, the defining center of her career was always the ensemble.

“I would say the most central parts of my identity were conducting the Concert Choir, and the women’s choir Choralia. The choirs were really the heartbeat of my work because that is where musical excellence, leadership and community all came together,” she said.

Alongside ensemble work, she emphasized individual mentorship through voice lessons and the preparation of future educators through music education courses. Her students have gone on to perform at the highest levels of the profession, including the Metropolitan Opera and Santa Fe Opera, while many others have become influential educators across the region.

At the same time, Diddle’s understanding of success reaches further than the stage.

“I have former students who are pastors, mayors, nurses, doctors, lawyers, master teachers, priests and religious sisters. Others are raising wonderful families and bringing music into their homes,” Diddle said. “I wish I could list every one of them for you and put a gold star after their name — they are all gems, and I’m so proud of them.”

A lasting legacy

Throughout her career, Diddle emphasized that musical talent carries responsibility beyond performance.

“What I hope students carry forward from their time in my classroom or ensemble is the confidence to shine — to recognize the gifts they have been given, to develop those gifts with discipline and humility, and to use them in ways that make the lives of others better.”

One of her former students, Bailey Cords, is doing just that — thanks to Diddle’s influence and mentorship. 

“Dr. Laura Diddle is the reason I became a music educator,” he said. “I originally planned to attend SDSU for agricultural business, but she encouraged me to pursue music education — something I had always considered but thought I’d keep as a hobby.”

Cords continued, “Dr. Diddle pushed me to my limits, challenged me daily and gave me countless opportunities that shaped me into the educator I am today. I truly wouldn’t be making an impact in this small town without her guidance and support.”

As she reflects on her career, Diddle returns to the people at the center of it.

“I hope students remember that I believed in them, challenged them and helped them discover gifts they may not yet have fully seen in themselves,” Diddle said. “I have always wanted students to understand that their talent is not only for themselves. Their musical gifts have the power to encourage, to heal, to unite and to elevate others.”

Her final concert title, “Shine,” reflects that belief.

“At the heart of it, I hope I helped people shine: students finding their voices, colleagues building something worthwhile together, and the arts continuing to flourish as a visible and valued part of this community.”

After more than two decades, that impact is already clear. It lives in the voices of her students, the strength of the program she helped build, and the communities shaped by the music she brought into them.

And it will continue, carried forward by those she taught to shine.